The present invention relates to exercise and stretching equipment and, in particular, to a multipurpose exercise and stretching apparatus which allows a participant, regardless of the exercise or stretching motion being performed, to always stretch in a preferred ergonomic and physiologically acceptable fashion.
Flexibility and stretching have been found to be important in all areas of a person""s life. It is important to stretch the body for improved performance in sports, occupations and other activities. Increasingly, it has been found that it is important for everyone to restore and maintain muscle and joint flexibility. Improved performance in all areas of life is accomplished by stretching the proper muscle groups, joints, and nerves in preparation for specific body movements and activities. While many people stretch instinctively to loosen up, rarely are the proper muscles stretched in the correct manner. Proper body positioning during stretching stimulates the circulatory flow and facilitates blood flow to the muscles, heart and brain to produce a relaxed, tension-free body. Proper body positioning during stretching also helps to decrease muscle soreness, joint aching, stress and headaches.
Proper stretching enhances stamina, power and coordination. Also, proper stretching encourages the healing of injured or under utilized muscle groups while decreasing the risk of injury and reducing continued trauma to the injured muscle.
Proper stretching of muscles, joints and nerves also enhances alertness and physical performance while decreasing the risk of injury whether in sports or work and especially those occupations which require lifting, standing, sitting and keyboard or assembly activities.
Further, when a person is participating in a sport or certain work activities it is desirable to perform warm-up exercises to help stretch the muscles which will be used in that sport or activity. In order to fully stretch those muscles, however, the participant must position his or her body in a particular manner in order to correctly stretch the muscles being used. Depending on the sport or activity, many muscle groups must be stretched and warmed-up in order to perform in a reasonable manner and without injury. Until the present invention, the participants had rely on their own knowledge of stretching in order to perform any warm-up exercises before attempting the activity. Thus, many participants simply stretched overhead or performed general reaching and bending motions in order to loosen up. However, the dynamics and mechanics involved in stretching muscles are particularly complex and involve the entire body.
In order to perform a reasonable stretching of the necessary muscles, the participant needs to stretch muscles using the greatest resistance. However, the participant usually stretches the muscles using the weakest resistance such that the necessary muscle groups have not been adequately stretched.
Further, various muscle groups need to be simultaneously stretched to prepare the participant""s body for the desired activity. This is especially important since many activities involve muscles in the body which are not usually stretched in a proper manner.
Until the present invention, there has not been a multipurpose exercise and stretching apparatus which allows a participant to easily and efficiently perform the necessary stretching and warm-up steps in order to sufficiently carry out and perform a desired activity.
The present invention provides an improved multipurpose exercising and stretching apparatus. The stretching apparatus comprises a leverage system and a base platform. The leverage system comprises a plurality of stretching or exercise components. The present invention is especially useful for performing various types of stretching exercises in one location.
In a preferred embodiment, the components of the leverage system are adjacent each other so that the participant performs a first stretch by grasping certain designated components of the leverage system, then moves to a second stretch by grasping certain other designated components. A primary feature of the present invention is that the multipurpose stretching apparatus allows a participant to safely stretch muscles in a progressive manner without moving from one location. Each muscle group is warmed-up and stretched and, in turn, those stretched muscle groups are used to aid in stretching the subsequent muscle group. Each stretching exercise builds on the previous exercise so that all the muscles are stretched in a cumulative manner.
The multipurpose exercise and stretching apparatus described herein has a leverage system having multiple components that can be used in many different combinations. It should be understood that other embodiments can have different configurations of the components so that different combinations of stretches can be performed by the participant.
A first component of the leverage system comprises a plurality of spaced apart vertical bars having horizontal bars extending between the vertical bars.
A second component of the leverage system comprises a foot support having an angled support member, a heel or foot stirrup member which is positioned at an angle to a plane defined by the support member. The second component preferably extends from a back side of the first component.
A third component of the leverage system comprises at least one lower pair of vertically and horizontally extending grasping bars which are in a spaced apart relationship to the foot support component. The third component is preferably positioned above the second component and is preferably positioned adjacent the back side of the first component.
A fourth component of the leverage system comprises a pair of opposed angled gripping bars which angle in a downward direction. The fourth component is preferably positioned above the third component and is preferably positioned adjacent the back side of the first component.
A fifth component of the leverage system comprises a plurality of overhead horizontally extending bars mounted on a curved center support. The fifth component is preferably positioned over the first component.
A sixth component of the leverage system comprises a plurality of vertically angled overhead bars. The sixth component is preferably positioned above the fourth component and is preferably adjacent a top corner of the back side of the first component.
The multipurpose stretching apparatus, in preferred embodiments, further includes a support platform to keep the participant""s feet at a preferred angle. The support platform includes a first angled mat which angles upwardly from a midline and a second angled mat which angles upwardly in an opposite direction from the first angled mat. The support platform is positioned beneath the first component and is generally perpendicular to the first component such that the participant stands on the support platform to use each component of the multipurpose stretching apparatus.
The multipurpose exercise apparatus of the present invention can be used for many types of stretches and exercises. It should be understood that many types of activities other than sports also involve the use of multiple muscle groups and that a participant can use the apparatus of the present invention to perform such stretching exercises.
The present invention thus provides a biomechanically correct and ergonomically sound stretching apparatus that allows the participant to safely exercise and stretch each group of muscles in a logical and cumulative fashion.
The stretching apparatus of the present invention allows the participant to perform many stretching exercises to sufficiently stretch and warm-up every part of the body needed to perform a desired activity. The stretching apparatus also allows the participant to isolate and focus on stretching different muscle groups.
The stretching apparatus of the present invention allows the participant to perform all of the various stretching exercises in one centralized location. The stretching apparatus is compact and requires comparatively few pieces of equipment.
The stretching apparatus uses the participant""s body""s natural upright position and provides for proper body alignment, safety, and stability. The stretching apparatus properly positions the body relative to gravity, and the stretches are easy to understand and follow, with a logical progression and complementary combinations.
The stretching apparatus allows the participant to perform multiple stretching exercises without spending time resetting the apparatus in order to perform certain stretches or exercises. The participant can perform the stretching exercises without the need to handle weights or to make adjustments for his or her own particular height and/or flexibility.
The stretching apparatus of the present invention provides physical and mental benefits including: improving alertness and physical performance; enhancing stamina, power and coordination; encouraging of healing of injured or under-utilized muscle groups; decreasing muscle soreness, joint aching, stress and headaches; decreasing risk of injury; reducing accumulative trauma; and, producing a relaxed tension-free body.
The stretching apparatus is especially useful in industrial environments where use of the stretching apparatus can increase productivity and morale, decrease injuries and employer related costs due to those injuries. Use of the stretching apparatus increases work efficiency by properly preparing the body for all job-related functions such as lifting, standing, sitting, and keyboard or similar activities. The stretching apparatus is a compact environment which, when used, simply and safely prevents work-related musculo-skeletal injuries. Further, use of the stretching apparatus in work environments consistently enhances individual morale, alertness, and physical performance while providing each employee a convenient and safe place to stretch and feel better. The stretching apparatus provides a biomechanically designed environment which is the most-effective system to satisfy prevention, ergonomic, and rehabilitation needs of industry.
The stretching apparatus of the present invention is also specially useful in applications for athletes and in health clubs. The stretching apparatus is innovative in function, yet simple and safe. The functionally designed leverage system of the present invention allows for hundreds of proper stretches for any sport or activity. The stretching apparatus provides the most effective environment for warm-up and cool-down for all forms of exercise, or provides a complete workout by itself. The stretching apparatus serves as a quick, simple and safe system to enhance overall stamina, power, and coordination. Use of the stretching apparatus allows the participant to have individualized program which decreases the chance of injury and dramatically enhances performance and the feeling of well being.
The stretching apparatus of the present invention is also a useful applications in the rehabilitation field. The stretching apparatus allows a health practitioner to prescribe hundreds of patient-specific stretching exercises which can be performed in a functionally correct, upright, and safe environment. The biomechanically designed stretching apparatus facilitates both functionally correct tissue lengthening and join mobilization through four-point, tri-plane stretching. Use of the stretching apparatus enhances stretching, strengthening, and manual therapeutic techniques to effectively decrease pain and immediately improve a patient""s body""s function. The stretching apparatus provides a system to enhance proprioception and balance while documenting consistent functional progress in the patient.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.